The present disclosure relates generally to the field of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control systems. The present disclosure relates more particularly to systems and methods for dynamic selection of a master controller device.
HVAC control systems are used to monitor and control temperature, humidity, air flow, air quality, and/or other conditions within a building or building system. HVAC control systems typically include a plurality of measurement devices (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, etc.), mechanical devices (e.g., chillers, boilers, air handling units, variable air volume units, etc.), and one or more controllers for receiving feedback from the measurement devices and providing control signals to the mechanical devices. Some HVAC control systems include a controller designated as the “master” device that is configured to run a system-wide algorithm. Such control systems often include one or more “slave,” or subordinate, controllers.
In many instances, the master and slave devices communicate via wireless networks. Although wireless networks may minimize installation and commissioning times, they are also susceptible to communications interruptions due to radio interference, industrial noise, and other factors. In other instances, the master and slave devices communicate via wired or optical networks. In any case, if a master controller loses the ability to communicate with the slave devices, it may result in a service interruption. Thus, a method to compensate for a non-communicative wireless or wired master controller device in a way that maintains uninterrupted service would be useful.